On Friday, the All-Staters had a bit of a surprise schedule change that turned into quite a great experience. Before boarding the buses to leave Wingate University, they headed to warm-up and sing We Are Yours, Lord for composer Mark Patterson. The opportunity to sing a song for its composer is a rare opportunity that turned into a real treat for the All-Staters. After singing, Mark complimented the All-Staters on a tremendous job and talked to them about the ideas and thoughts he had when composing this piece. But more than what he spoke about that specific piece, his words on being a believable singer were incredibly relevant. He prayed for the All-Staters to be, "the most believable singers in the world today and always." If a singer does not feel and believe what they are singing, how can the listener? When the message of the songs are pertinent to the eternal future of the listener, the job of the singer to be believable becomes even more important.
After this inspiring time with Mark Patterson, the All-Staters boarded the bus for Concord and Taylor Glen Retirement Community. The All-Staters sang a handful of numbers for a few dozen residents and Bethany engaged the residents by asking them if any had sung in a choir before and what voice part they sang. Additionally, in order to see if the All-Staters were looking believable, she asked the residents to give them a thumbs down if they believed what they were hearing and seeing or a thumbs down if they didn't. I'm not sure if any of the residents gave any thumbs down, but the All-Staters sure perked up!
As always, interacting with the residents and audience members is the favorite part of many All-Staters!
After a wonderful lunch fed to us by FBC Kannapolis, the All-Staters arrived earlied at Pitts Baptist Church where they were thrilled to have a little extra time for their first pew nap of the week! For some odd reason, those benches that (sometimes) seem so uncomfortable while sitting in a church service have been a favorite napping place of All-Staters for years! Personally, I think they feel so heavenly because everyone is completely exhausted, but that is just my opinion.
To the surprise of the All-Staters, instead of rehearsing, Bethany had a fun game planned. She gave each of the All-Staters a mouth retractor (protractor?) that pulls your lips back away from your teeth. The All-Staters split into teams and read sections of lyrics from their songs while trying to get their teammates to guess. It was quite a sight to see and lots of fun was had all around!
After the fun and games, rehearsal began in earnest. Bethany challenged the All-Staters to move from technicians or musicians to the level of artist. The main difference in an artist and the other two is that an artist makes a connection with the listener and text, sings with emotion, and has a believable quality about them. This connected incredibly with what Mark Patterson had told the All-Staters this morning, and what Bethany had been trying to tell the All-Staters all week. As they rehearsed, she encouraged the All-Staters to truly reflect on their floods and fires that they sing about in a number of pieces.
Family and Friends!
Every year I realize the All-Staters are going to continue to get better with every day and every concert, but every year it continues to astound me. Tonight was no exception. Each song was sung with passion and intention. You really don't want to miss hearing the 2017 North Carolina Baptist All-State Youth Choir!
Your Faithful All-State Blogger,
Carter
